Little has changed in the 11 weeks since the Trafford street department walked off the job. The three-man staff has kept a vigil in front of the borough building before each council meeting since Feb. 1, sporting sandwich board signs demanding a pay raise and continued benefits.
Trafford Street Department is represented by Teamsters Local 205, which has met with the borough on three occasions since the strike began. Council members have remained mum on the sticking points in the contract, while workers charge the borough is proposing to take away health insurance benefits.
At the Tuesday council meeting, President Bruce Robinson announced the borough would release an official statement later this week detailing a proposal that the union steadfastly has refused.
"You'll see what our offer was to them. Our concern is insurance, but we're not taking it away from them. We're just saying if it goes up, help us pay. This is me personally talking. We are saying 'Let us go to the insurance company that will save us money. Help us pay for it," said Robinson.
After the meeting, Robinson admitted council has not been forthcoming with any information about strike negotiations. One resident approached him asking where his tax money has gone since Feb. 1.
During the meeting, Level Green resident Tom Bozick, who owns property in the borough, asked when the strike would be over because the grass was starting to grow.
"The parks are opening. Something has got to be done," he said. Later in the meeting, council voted 5-0 to hire Faust Landscaping and Lawn Care Services of Irwin to cut all borough grass for $400 per week.
On another matter, council voted unanimously to appoint 25-year veteran police Officer David Bossar "officer-in-charge" to keep things running smoothly in the department while Chief Ron Troy is on medical leave.
"The appointment is based on seniority and pending union approval. It will be temporary in effect until the chief returns," said Councilman Chris Espenshade. "The department and the mayor have done a very good job to avoid problems. Officer Bossar will be a 'go-to' person for any technical questions."
On a final matter, council accepted a $6,577 bid from Complete Building Inc. to clean up debris at one South Trafford ball field and perform general maintenance on the second. The field needs 105 cubic yards of dirt to cover a 50-foot area of the field containing exposed concrete. The borough had permitted concrete from the repair of the Wallace Avenue bridge to be buried in the outfield years ago. Recently, the concrete has resurfaced.
"This will make the girls' fields playable," said Councilman Casey Shoub.
